This invention relates generally to advertising insertion in audio, video, game, or software content distribution systems.
Systems are available for distributing a wide variety of content to users. In some cases, the users may select a particular content they wish to play. In many cases, it is desirable to insert commercials or advertisements into the content as the content is selected.
In one model, in return for a given number of advertisement viewings, the user may be entitled to play a certain amount of content. Thus, it is important to ensure that the user actually plays the advertising material.
A variety of stripping programs, fast forwarding functions, muting and masking functions are available in digital playback devices. The risk arises for advertisers that the users may avoid actually playing the advertising material in a human understandable way. If the advertising material is never played, it will have no effect.
The net effect of such circumvention may be that free or low cost content may not be made available. In other words, if advertisers cannot be assured that the advertising will actually be played (as opposed to being circumvented), they may be unwilling to subsidize the electronic distribution of content.
Therefore, there is a need for a way to ensure that advertising material inserted in content is actually played as originally designed and intended by the advertiser.